Recommendations for E. Tennessee after Sevierville rally - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

Recommendations for E. Tennessee after Sevierville rally

travlingman · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here are a few suggestions:

Asheville has a lot to see, Biltmore House, downtown, arts district, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Mitchell, Carl Sandburg House(Flat Rock), Hendersonville to name a few. I recommend staying at Lakewood in East Flat Rock. Full hook ups, 55+ park, very clean and quite, Saturday night activities, very friendly folks there. Most staying are full timers with some tourist too. Easy access to all mentioned above. Don't have to be 55, just not much activities for children.

If you just want to relax and chill, there are some great COE's on Lake Hartwell outside of Clemson, SC. These have electric/water only, but have dump stations and bath houses. Oconee Point is our favorite. There is Greenville close by along with some other small towns. For full hookups, Crooked Creek in West Union, SC, again outside Clemson is right on a lake, rents pontoon boats, café on site, is nice. There is no shaded sites there and it can get hot though.

Cherokee, NC has the casinos and is on the other side of the mountain from Gatlinburg. A lot of campgrounds there with full hook ups.

Might want to consider staying in Pigeon Forge area for a few days as there is a lot to see and do there with the national park and tourist attractions.

Could head down to Chattanooga and see there aquarium and the attractions around it. I think they have dinner cruises, music, arts, etc. in that area now. Also have Look Out mountain there. Some full hook up campgrounds there.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Just 2 weeks later, only 125 miles away (Marion, NC), is another RV-Dreams rally (Family Reunion; I would think that if you go to the Spring rally, you're eligible for that one). We'll be at both and are also looking for stuff to do in between them.

Looking forward to meeting you!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

Great info, Travlingman! Also as a newbie and not having traversed the mountains yet, what is driving in the Smokeys like and getting in and out of those parks?

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for the suggestions, Travelingman.

Look forward to meeting you, too, Mitch and Cheryl.

Rob (and Laura)

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Some areas to watch out for is the road Newfound Gap Rd. (441) from Gatlinburg to Cherokee has some pretty steep grades and lots of traffic plus it closes often due to snow and ice. The Blue Ridge Parkway has some low clearance tunnels too. www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/tunnel-heights.htm

Stay off of "Tail of the Dragon" (hwy 129) and "Hellbender" (hwy 28) too - lots of sharp turns and switchbacks. I think now truck and trailers over 30ft are banned - and for good reason.

Getting in and out of RV parks is usually not a problem, unless you are trying to get to Cataloochee CG in the GSMNP, which is challenging even without a trailer (I camp there often in my Aliner).

Chip

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

So, Chip, with all these places not to go, where IS it safe to drive? (advice much appreciated). In fact, I'm going to plug some places into my Good Sam GPS and see if it indeed does route me away from those roads.

travlingman · RV-Dreams Family Member

If not pulling rig, any road is good with your truck, but can get tight in some of the parking lots of tourist attractions. Cades Cove is a popular place to go, but with a dually it can be a problem. People park on both sides of the single lane road, and it can get very tight with a dually.

441 from Gatlinburg to Cherokee could be done with an RV, but I wouldn't do it. I-40 from Tenn. into Asheville is not that bad. When you get into what is known as the gorge, TN/NC state lines, stay in right lane and go with the flow. Coming into NC there is one grade that is not that bad. Once in NC, you can take Waynesville exit and go to Cherokee that way, 4 lane road.

If you are going to Marion and have a dog, I would suggest you stay at 4 Paws Kingdom in Rutherfordton as a side stay. It is a campground that is for dogs. They have all kinds of play areas, events and more for dogs. The owners are from Germany and ran a resort there. They have weekly events, and serve killer meals during them. They do have restrictions on children and is for adults only.

If going to Marion, Old Fort Mountain outside of Black Mountain on I-40 is a pretty good downhill. Just be geared down before you start down, and you will have no issues.

You can come up I-40 and catch I-81 north and then take I-26 to Asheville. It has a few good climbs going into NC but nothing that bad. There is a good campground near Bristol Motor Speedway called Lakeview, we are staying there right now, that is full hookup and a good place to stay to visit the area.

If you are interested in heading into South Carolina, let me know and I can recommend some routes to take there if towing rig.